The Legend of Puff
by PhoenixWormwood137
Summary: Puff the Magic Dragon is a well-known poem. What a lot of people don't know is that Hiccup wrote it. That Jackie was a Viking child. That Puff was a baby Night Fury. T for character death - better safe than sorry! NOW COMPLETE.
1. Chapter 1

The Legend of Puff

Chapter One

Puff looked down.

The drop was hundreds of feet - thousands, maybe, he thought with a gulp. His sharp little claws kneaded the ground, anchoring him more firmly to the rock beneath his paws, and he closed his wings resolutely. If he had his way, he would still be in the warm, toasty egg. There was no way he was going to jump off this cliff, it was absolutely ridiculous, when his mother told him to she must've been joking...

He shot a glance at her, and she growled, motioning with the tip of her tail to the empty air that Puff was supposed to be flying through.

Puff gave a whine and cringed under her intense gaze, but didn't spread his wings. No siree, no flying for him...

His mother approached him, and he skittered away. But he couldn't move fast enough, not with his long tail trailing behind him, catching on rocks and slowing him down, and she caught him.

He flapped his wings feebly, trying to show his mother that the thin membrane couldn't hold him up in the empty air, and opened his eyes to the fullest extent, pleading in all his cuteness. It worked for a lot of dragons, why couldn't it work on his mother?

His mother was not impressed. She looked at him with half-hooded eyes, and he shrugged apologetically.

Still holding him, she began to move toward the entrance of the cave.

Puff closed his enormous eyes. He knew what was coming, and he didn't want to see it –

Nothing was holding him up. He was plummeting toward the forest below, eyes still tight shut, and he knew there was only one way to stop his descent –

Phwoom! His wings caught the air, and he rose on the current of wind, drifting gently from side to side.

He opened his dark black eyes, and looked down.

He blinked at the trees speeding by on the ground below, at the sea sparkling to his left, and the mountain peak that reared up in front of him.

Haltingly, he folded one wing, and dipped down a few feet. It was as easy as walking - easier, even, for the wind supported his over-long tail, and he could go as fast as he wanted without its weight tripping him up.

What had he been afraid of?

He gave a crow of delight, and flapped his wings, marvelling at the way they caught and held the rushing wind. He could go anywhere with these.

Free! Free as a bird? Birds were not free. They were prey. Prey... His stomach grumbled, and he kicked his little paws in delight at the thought that he was old enough to catch his own dinner, and not rely on his parents and the other dragons in the nest to regurgitate their own kills for him.

And to think - just a few minutes ago he had wished he was back in his eggshell! The eggshell was for babies - _he,_ Puff, was already six weeks old. Six weeks old and flying.

The wind gusted against him, and he fought it, feeling generation-old instinct vibrating inside him. He knew - for the first time - that he was born to fly.

_Night Fury._

The words seemed to whisper in the trees' branches, and sigh in the sea's waves. He knew that he wasn't a pure-blooded Night Fury, but did it really matter if there was some Zippleback in him? You couldn't really tell. Sure, his scales were tinted slightly green, and the double tail of the Zippleback seemed to have combined into one extra-long Night Fury tail, but he had inherited the wings of a Night Fury, and that's what mattered.

The opposing wind blew again, and pushed him backwards slightly. He looked up for the first time, and saw dark stormclouds looming over the sky.

A mile away, another was looking up at the gloomy sky. This was not a dragon. He was a small boy, with thick hair that stuck out from under his horned helmet in a spray of shocking orange, and huge, forest green eyes.

He turned back the way he had come, and the small stones that made up the path he had been walking crunched under his heel. With the presence of an oncoming storm, he felt small under the massive slate sky, small and exposed. Behind him and around him, dark pines stuck from the ground, pointing to the heavens like signposts. Ahead of him on the path, lay the same black trees, cloaked in dusky green needles and sheets of yellow dripping moss.

He shivered. He didn't want to be caught outside in a storm, and the mountainside was creepy enough without pattering sounds of rain and roars of thunder and flashes of lightning that illuminated things better left unseen.

Especially the thunder. He hated thunder. It scared him - it reminded him of dragons.

He didn't know what exactly frightened him about dragons. The small ones made him jumpy, the way they skittered and hopped and snapped with sharp little fangs. The larger ones emitted an aura of pure power that intimidated him, and made him want to run to his mother and have her gather him up in her arms. His father wouldn't comfort him, not if the problem was with dragons, but he didn't need him. He was seven. Too old to be consoled by his_ father_ anyway.

He was halfway back to his village when the storm broke.


	2. Chapter 2

**Requested author's note! :)**

**Well, if this story is confusing, I think it's because it's only one chapter long. Well, two now. Characters aren't going to die until the climax - and this is still just the beginning. Thanks for reviewing anyway and please please please continue to do so! If you're still confused after this chapter, could you review and tell me why? Thanks :)**

The Legend of Puff

Chapter Two

The grey clouds shed rain over the land, drenching it in sheets of pounding water.

The wind picked up, and Puff realized that the wind that had been blowing against him before had just been a breeze. This was real wind, strong wind at that, and it blew him backwards.

He flapped his wings, believing that he could defeat the force of the gale, and was buffeted backwards again.

Any other dragon would've realized that he should land immediately, and seek shelter in some hollow or cove, but Puff was too arrogant to land when he had just discovered the strength of his wings. His faith in them was complete, and he stayed in the air, defying the force of the storm.

Or trying to defy it.

It didn't really work.

In a few minutes, the wind had increased - it was a raging gale now. It had reached screaming speeds over the sea, and now, reaching the island, tore at trees and pushed everything in its way to the side. Puff was tossed about like a leaf, first one way, then the other, up, then down, upside down, even. He squeaked and tried to right himself, but the wind had taken hold of him, and was now playing with him and throwing him around.

He gave an obstinate screech, and flew higher into the sky. It was a mistake - the higher he went, the stronger the wind got, and the more furious the rain - but he was too proud to admit this to himself, and flapped his wings still harder, his little nose pointed to the clouds...

Then he lost control. The wind was too strong. It flung him down mercilessly, beating his wings, crushing him, so that he fell, fell from the great height in what seemed like a heartbeat.

Bonesplitting pain, and then his sight flickered and went black.

He awoke to the sound of ringing silence. The storm had passed, and with the raging wind gone, Puff felt as if all sound had drained away from the world, leaving him deaf.

He opened his wide black eyes, blinked, and realized that he was sprawled in a drift of snow. His wing arm was ablaze with pain, and he groaned, and turned his head to look at it.

It was crumpled in an odd, wrong sort of way, the wing half furled, and when he tried to move it, it hurt terribly.

He groaned. Not when he had just learned to fly! Now he was grounded for life - he couldn't heal this.

A surge of anger welled within him. He would NOT die bound to the earth. He WOULD fly again, if it cost him his life.

But how?

He thought for a while. He had heard of dragons who had friends, wingless, mud-bound friends, but his mother had always scorned them as weaklings.

Humans were not an option.

Even though they were excellent healers, who could mend broken bones and nurse sick greenbloods back to life -

Puff shook himself. He was NOT going to the humans.

He raised himself to his shaking legs, and stumbled from the snowdrift he had lodged in.

Now that his ears had spent some time in the silence of the wood, he could hear the gurgling of a stream nearby, and he started toward it, his overlong tail trailing in the muddy snow behind him. He felt quite dejected, and had to find some way to numb the pain.

He found the stream quite soon, and followed it a little way, till he came to a still pool of icy water. Half blind with agony as his injured wing dragged across the ground, he stumbled to the side of the pool. He plunged his head in the water and drank deeply, blessing the cool liquid as it rushed down his dry throat. When he came up again, the throbbing of his wing was somehow a little easier to bear, and he looked around, trying to figure out where he was.

He froze.

Instinct told him to stay completely still. Perhaps it could smell fear. In that case, he was doomed.

The human, across the pool from him, had frozen as well, its huge evergreen eyes fixed on Puff.

It put a hand to its belt, and Puff sensed a dagger hidden beneath the thick fur waistcoat.

A thrill of fear ran down his spine. Normally, he would've attacked the human - but he sensed something about this one. It was afraid too, afraid, and still just a child.

And Puff's wing was still hurting.

Face to face with a potential healer, Puff couldn't remember his arguments for staying away from humans. He very slowly spread his wing, showing the boy the bent bone and crumpled membrane.

The boy's hand stopped just above the dagger and it tilted its head, puzzled.

Puff gave a squeak, and looked at him with pleading eyes.

The child stayed still for a few more seconds. Then he moved slowly, approaching Puff with cautious, hesitating steps.

Puff didn't move.

The boy reached Puff, and ran a hand along his spines, still baby-soft, then along his wing.

Puff whimpered, but did not pull away.

The boy made a quick movement, and Puff was too tired and in pain to scamper away. But then he felt warmth, and the child's soft hand on his head, and realized the human had done nothing more than gather him in his arms.

The boy looked down at the Night Fury nestled against his chest. Yes, he hated dragons. As much as his father, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third, loved them.

But this dragon was different. It moved differently - not so jerky and aggressive, but slow and woozy - like it was hurting. And its wing - something like pity stirred inside him when he saw it, bruised and bent, and knew what it_ _should__ look like - long and graceful and powerfully beautiful.

So - just this once - he would help a dragon.


	3. Chapter 3

The Legend of Puff

Chapter Three

"Are you okay, Jackie?"

"I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

The boy frowned at his father, and gave no answer. Of course he was fine. It was the dragon outside that wasn't. But he wasn't going to let his father interfere with it.

There was something so, so different about this dragon. It was vulnerable, that had to be it - so dependent, so trusting. Other dragons weren't like that. This one had nestled down in his arms, and the boy had talked to it on the long journey home - whispered his name to it. "Jackie," he had murmured, his face close against the scaly ears. "My name's Jackie..."

By the time he had got home, the sun had set. His father had been worried - typical. His father didn't think he could do anything by himself. Well, he would prove it to him - he was a fine dragon trainer, and he could handle the injured animal all by himself.

His father started again. "Are you -"

"Hiccup." Jackie's mother shook her head slightly, and his father fell silent.

Jackie looked at his mother in gratitude. She always knew what to say. Astrid - best at every sport and winner of every contest in her childhood, winner of the heir to the village's affections when she was older. Best at understanding Jackie.

But he wouldn't tell her about the dragon. He was sure of that - he wasn't going to tell anyone. Not even her.

He pulled away from his father's arms, and climbed the stairs to the upper level. There were two rooms up here, and Jackie pushed open the door to the larger one.

There was already someone in here, and Jackie caught his breath. Of course - Honah Lee had been sick ever since she had gone out in the rain and caught that dreadful cold. She needed her rest. Two years old was too young to be sick for long.

Jackie tiptoed across the room, stealing glances at Honah Lee's pretty little face, but she didn't stir. He reached his bed, and slipped under the rough blankets, placing his helmet on the floor beside him. But he didn't relax under the sheets. He wasn't going to fall asleep - tonight was his night.

Pure excitement kept him happy for a while, but being in bed without wanting to sleep is singularly boring, and Jackie eventually began to kick his legs and hum and wonder when his parents would go to sleep.

He burrowed under the blankets and played for a while, but his normal games didn't please him anymore. He had never told anyone, but on the deepest, stormiest nights, he sometimes pretended to be a dragonslayer in days gone by. But somehow the game had lost its fun for him, because when he couldn't picture fierce bloodthirsty monsters anymore. Imagined dragons were now like the small one waiting outside for him. Now the very thought of the game filled him with horror.

So he pretended he was a burrowing dragon or a mole, tunnelling under the covers, and that kept him busy for awhile. But there was only so much bed to dig up - the edges kept cutting him off.

After a while, he couldn't stand the tedium anymore, and slipped out of bed. Perhaps his parents had already gone to their room without him noticing.

He crept to the top of the stairs, and crouched there, ears pricked. He couldn't hear anything down there except for the fire popping and spitting. Just when he was going to risk descending into the room below, he heard his father's voice.

"I don't think he really likes me, Astrid."

His tone was half-playful, and Jackie knew that his father was trying to joke but failing because he actually meant what he said.

His mother -

"What?"

His father again. "Jackie."

Jackie drew back slightly, his ears pricked.

"What in Valhalla are you talking about? Your head isn't screwed on right, Hiccup. Of course he likes you. He loves you. You're his dad, for Thor's sake."

There was silence again. Jackie stayed where he was, frozen, wondering whether his mother or his father was right.

He heard his mother sigh. "You're thinking about Stoick and you, aren't you?"

"Yeah."

Jackie thought back. Grandpa Stoick had died years ago - Jackie wasn't actually sure if he had ever met him, but he had heard a lot about him. How he was a magnificent dragon killer, huge and strong and tough. But he had never heard anything about his father's relationship with Stoick. He listened eagerly - his mother was talking again.

"Sometimes I think Jackie's more like Stoick than you."

Now it was his father's turn to be puzzled. "What?"

"He's small and geeky like you - " allowed Astrid.

"Thanks," Hiccup muttered.

"But in his heart - he takes convincing that dragons are actually worth being friends with."

"Yeah, he does."

"Sometimes I think he's going to grow up to be a-"

Jackie covered his ears. He was seized by a sudden fear. It wasn't one he had felt before - not the fear of disappointing his father or shaming his family, but the fear of wrecking the world his father had sought to build. He didn't want to hurt his father, but even more than that, he didn't want to be the thing that caused the death of the helpless little dragon he had rescued today.

But the word, the dreaded word, leaked through his hands into his ears.

"Dragonslayer."

"No!"

The word broke from both father and son at the same time - they sat looking at each other for a moment, both too horrified to realize that a little crime like coming out of bed and listening in the hall had been committed.

"No!" said Jackie again. He could feel his face flushing, but it wasn't with embarrassment, it was with anger and fear. He rushed down the stairs, falling the last few and landing hard on the ground, but he didn't care. He picked himself up, and rushed to his father, and - he didn't know what made him do it - for the first time in a long time, threw himself into his father's arms.

And he knew his mother had been right. He_ did _love Hiccup.

Hiccup wrapped his arms around his son's small body, and held him tight, breathing deep, swaying slightly.

Jackie pulled away, and Hiccup let him go.

Jackie scampered out the door, and round the side of the house. It was pitch dark outside, but he found the little dragon, curled next to the woodpile, and gathered it up in his arms again.

His father was standing when he came back, his mother half-raised from her chair. When Hiccup saw the dragon, he gave a cry, and knelt down beside Jackie.

"I won't be a dragonslayer when I'm older," Jackie said, "Because I'm not when I'm now."

Hiccup smiled at his son's dreadful grammar, but became serious again when he saw the little dragon's bent wing.

"How did this happen?" he asked.

"I don't know. I found it like this."

"Oh, gosh," Hiccup said softly. "A Night Fury."

"I don't think so," Jackie said, proud to know something his dad didn't. He raised the little dragon's tail so that his father could see it better.

"Zippleback," he said.

"Wow, Jackie, you're right." Hiccup cradled the tail. "It has a Zippleback tail - but his wings and his head are Night Fury. It's an interesting combination - I've never seen it before. What if it had been born with two heads and -"

Jackie rolled his eyes. "Dad! What about its wing?"

Hiccup looked up, and brushed the wing with his fingers. "It's broken."

Jackie swallowed. "Can you fix it?"


	4. Chapter 4

The Legend of Puff

Chapter Four

Hiccup was silent, and Astrid came over to Jackie and hugged him.

"Time to go back to bed."

Jackie started to protest, but Hiccup nodded. "I'll know by the morning if I can heal him. I need a little time."

Astrid scooped Jackie up in her arms, even though she had claimed he was too old for such things years ago.

She carried him upstairs, and laid him in bed. He sat up at once.

"Will it be okay?"

Astrid sighed.

"Sometimes, there are things that can't be fixed by anyone."

"Not even dad?"

Astrid looked at Jackie with a small regretful smile on her lips.

"If there was anyone in the world who could heal that dragon, it would be Hiccup."

There was quiet, then Astrid spoke. "Look, Jackie, I'm sorry for what I said about you."

He shrugged.

Astrid planted a kiss on her son's forehead, and went into the hall. She stood for a moment, in indecision, feeling sorry and confused.

She had known for ages, ages and ages, that her son was the same as his father.

They were both non-conformist, thinking outside the box and yearning for more. The only thing was, Hiccup had already corrected the nature of the Vikings, befriending dragons instead of killing them. If Jackie went against the grain as well, there could be a dragon-killing rebellion. But - surely it was her imagination. She regretted saying it.

She descended the stairs.

Hiccup was still kneeling over the dragon, and there was a look of tender care on his face, a look she had only ever seen when he looked at his children, his own dragon, or her.

She sat down beside him. It was harder to apologize to him than it was to Jackie. She knew she had been too hard on him, but he had scared her. He had begun to guess at what she herself had been guessing at for a long time - Jackie's estrangement from his father. And she didn't want Hiccup to know. Maybe if he didn't know, she would be able to fix it on her own, without his help.

She had been wrong, but the last thing she wanted to do was admit her wrongdoing. So she tried to put the words into a touch - she put a hand on his neck, and gently ran it along his shoulder.

He relaxed visibly, and looked at her for a moment with the same affectionate look, then turned back to the dragon.

Astrid took a deep breath. "Will you be able to heal it?"

Hiccup shrugged. "Why do you think I sent Jackie upstairs?"

Astrid sucked in her breath. "You won't?"

Hiccup bit his lip and didn't reply, and Astrid knelt down beside him and put her arm around him. "What happened to it?"

"I think he fell - his whole left side is bruised, and his wing was crushed beneath his body. I told Jackie it was broken, and that was part of the truth... But it's not just broken once."

He reached out and touched the wing in four different spots.

"Will he live?"

Hiccup stiffened. "If I have anything to say about it, he will."

He stopped, and stroked the dragon's soft spines. "If this dragon dies, Jackie will be so upset - maybe at me. Maybe he'll blame me, and he has the right to, if I let it die."

Astrid sighed. "Hiccup, you don't have to blame yourself if it doesn't make it. It's just one dragon."

Hiccup shook his head. "Just one dragon? No - didn't you see the way Jackie was looking at it?"

Astrid shook her head.

"It's like - like Toothless. Jackie's found his partner, I'm sure of it!"

"What are you going to tell him?"

"I'll - I'll tell him that we'll try to save it. But it's not going to be easy."


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey, guys! Sorry for the delay last time! I sort of – forgot all about this story :) Don't worry! I'll try to make sure it won't happen again!**

**Oh yeah, and I know they don't have cherry trees in Iceland or Norway or wherever Hiccup lives. But it's in the song and it's essential to the story, so I'm just taking a little artistic licence.**

**Oh, and I think someone asked about Toothless? Well, he's not going to be a big player in this story, sorry.**

**Anyway, thanks for the reviews!**

* * *

><p>The Legend of Puff<p>

Chapter Five

.

Jackie's determined, happy spirit was not dampened by the news that his dragon might die. He was convinced that with his help, it would live to fly again.

"His name is Puff," he announced to his family.

And from that moment on, the little dragon was always draped around his shoulders like a scarf with a trailing green tail.

Hiccup watched Jackie and Puff fondly. His son had changed in the weeks since he had found the dragon, changed much for the better. He was much more gentle, and friendlier toward dragons than he had ever been before. His marks in dragon-training classes soared, and when Jackie started disappearing into the forest most afternoons, his new companion draped around his shoulders, Hiccup marvelled at the likeness between himself and Jackie.

Every evening, Hiccup took off the bark cast he had made for Puff's wing, and told Jackie that it looked a little better. At first, he had not been able to bring himself to tell his son that it looked just the same, but as the weeks passed, the wing actually began to heal, slowly but surely.

The village healer, Gothi, came by every once in a while, to check on Puff, but Hiccup was so much better at helping dragons that her visits were mostly just an excuse - a cover up, so that Jackie wouldn't know the real reason Gothi came looking so hopeful, and left looking so discouraged.

One evening, as Hiccup stood, leaning against the doorframe of the entrance to his house, watching Jackie disappear into the forest with Puff, Astrid came up beside him.

"What did Gothi say?" he asked her, keeping his eyes on Jackie.

"No change." It was a whisper.

She gave a little sob, and Hiccup turned to her and put his arms around her.

"Don't cry," he said softly. "Jackie might hear…"

"I'm sorry," she said. "I just can't bear it… my girl… my only daughter…"

Hiccup squeezed his eyes shut, but a tear escaped them and trickled down his cheek.

"She'll make it. Something tells me she's a fighter."

"It's your imagination," Astrid sobbed, "You've always had a good one."

"Don't say that, don't say that," Hiccup said. "She'll make it."

"But so sick," Astrid mumbled. "So sick. Just a child."

There was silence for a while, as they both cried.

Then Astrid spoke. "Go after him."

"What?" "Jackie! I don't want him to be by himself."

"Why?"

"I can't lose them both…"

"Astrid," Hiccup said, and, placing his hands on her shoulders, he looked deep into her sapphire blue eyes. "We're not going to lose either of them. Jackie will be _fine_. I spent all my afternoons in that forest when I was fourteen, and nothing ever happened to me. Granted, he's younger than I was, but the woods are safer now."

"You were with a Night Fury," she said.

"He is, too."

"Hiccup, it's three feet long! Just go!"

"Okay, okay." He kissed her, then set off after Jackie.

Hiccup followed Jackie into the forest, and along the trail he had always walked when he was going to visit his own dragon. He stayed far behind him, so that Jackie wouldn't know he was being followed.

Halfway along the trail, a new path branched away from the main one, twisting away into the depths of the forest.

Jackie started down the trail, and Hiccup paused where the paths intersected, and stared down the winding footpath.

The bushes reached out and brushed Jackie's shoulders as he passed, and the trees leaned over him, casting deep shadows over the small figure.

The foliage of the winter forest created a menacing arch over the path, the evergreens blotting out the sunlight and the bare deciduous trees stretching out bony leafless fingers.

Hiccup shivered, and followed Jackie and Puff.

Jackie rounded a bend, passing a gnarled, twisted old pine, and Hiccup reached the tree a few minutes after him. He laid a hand on the wood, and felt a tingle on his fingertips. What was it?

There was something different about this place.

He drew his hand off the tree, and quickly stepped past the trunk.

A gently rolling slope, a clear, gurgling brook... a clearing that on three sides was bordered by lush trees, and on one side dropped away to the sea.

High above the ocean, about on a level with the meadow, sea-stacks formed little islands that were separated from the mainland by narrow channels of seawater.

It was beautiful - beautiful!

Jackie was standing in the middle of the small clearing, Puff perched on his arm, his back to Hiccup. Puff's wing was free of the cast that usually enfolded it, and his whole body was stiff with excitement, rigid with joy. As was Jackie's.

His wings were spread wide, to their fullest extent, and they filled with the cold breeze, the little dragon looked ready to fly.

The wind rustled through the rich evergreen plants that bordered the field, and Hiccup shook his head.

"Jackie, this place is beautiful," he said.

Jackie started violently, and Puff's head snaked round to look at Hiccup, his little claws clinging to Jackie's sleeve.

"Dad?"

Hiccup approached his son, looking around in wonder.

"Jackie…" he said, "How did you find this place?"

"I looked for the darkest part of the forest."

"What?"

Jackie was silent for a few moments, looking down at Puff.

"It's always darkest before the dawn. You told me that once - I can't remember when. I think - I think I was sick, or something like that."

"Jackie," Hiccup said, "Do you know what kind of tree that is?"

He pointed to the bare trees that dotted the forest that rimmed the meadow. "Those - those are cherry trees. They're really rare. And in the spring, they blossom so, so wonderfully. Come spring, this place will be the most beautiful sight on Berk."

Jackie shook his head. "My sister is the most beautiful thing on Berk," he said, and the words were soft and vulnerable.

Hiccup looked at him in surprise. "You're right," he whispered. "Your mother and your sister surpass any flowers. But besides those two wonderful girls, spring here will be glorious beyond comparison."

"Dad…"

Jackie looked down at Puff. "Dad, will Honah Lee die?"

It was Hiccup's turn to start, and stay silent for a few long minutes.

"No," he said, softly. "It's always darkest before the dawn. She'll recover. She has to."


	6. Chapter 6

The Legend of Puff

Chapter 6

The weeks passed slowly. Jackie disappeared into the forest most every day, and when Hiccup asked him what he was doing, told him that he was teaching Puff to fly again.

After that he always gave a report on how the little dragon was doing, seeing eager to please his father.

And when Jackie asked Hiccup how his sister was, demanding the truth and no euphemisms, Hiccup reluctantly told his son, every day when he came back home, about his sister's health.

The evenings became treasured times - Jackie would curl on Hiccup's lap, and Hiccup would inquire after Puff's health. Jackie would tell him he was doing a little better.

Then Jackie would ask Hiccup about Honah Lee's health, and Hiccup would sigh and tell his child that his sister was very sick and all they could do was hope and pray.

And then they would talk together late into the night, mostly about dragons.

Sometimes both Puff and Toothless, Hiccup's dragon, would be there, and they would play together. It was a funny sight - the midnight black, muscled beast that Toothless was, jumping around with the tiny, disproportioned squeak of a dragon that was Puff.

And sometimes, Hiccup and Jackie would forget their worry, and laugh.

And then, something would catch in Hiccup's voice, as if he choked on his laughter, and he would stop suddenly, and Jackie would immediately go dead silent.

And sometimes, Gothi would come in the evening, when Jackie was home, and Astrid's face would go pale, and Hiccup's eyes would grow bright with anxiety, and Jackie would retreat to a corner.

One evening, when Hiccup had drawn Jackie onto his lap, and asked after Puff's health, Jackie replied that he thought his dragon was ready to fly.

"But I want you to be there," he said. "When he flies."

"I will," Hiccup said, and then waited for the inevitable question, the inquiry after Honah Lee's health.

But it didn't come.

Instead, Jackie said softly, "I'm going to name it after her."

"What?"

"The place Puff and I go. Because you said the blooming trees will be so pretty in the spring. And because she's so pretty. I'll call the place 'Honah Lee.'"

"I think that's a really good idea," said Hiccup.

"And I found something out today. About dragons."

"What is it?"

Jackie held up a pudgy hand. "I cut myself today."

Hiccup took his son's hand. "I don't see -"

"Yeah," said Jackie, "Because Puff licked it! It was weird - the skin sort of re-grew. It was just a really small cut, but it's completely gone now."

Hiccup smiled. "I remember, a while time ago, when I fought in a battle, and I was injured, Toothless helped heal some of my wounds."

"Really?" Jackie was quiet. Inside, he knew something had happened to Honah Lee - he could tell, by his father's voice. It sounded hollow, and slightly empty. But he didn't want to know what had happened. He was too afraid. He loved her too much to lose her.

And so he said, "Tell me more about that battle."

Hiccup drew Jackie closer. "Alright. It was when I was sixteen or seventeen, long after I had trained Toothless and defeated the giant Sea Dragon…"

Jackie fell asleep with his head against Hiccup's chest, and Hiccup carried him tenderly upstairs, and laid him in his bed.

When he came out of the room, Astrid joined him.

"Oh, Hiccup," she whispered, "I'm so scared…"

"I am, too," he said, and Astrid put her arms around him, and laid her head against his chest. He raised her face and kissed her. "Don't give up hope yet, dearest."

"After what Gothi said? That she could do no more for her, and that she was fading fast?"

"She said she had some more herbs that might -"

"She's been giving them to her for months already! They won't help. We need a miracle."

"Then trust that they'll be a miracle."

"How can you say that? How do you know?"

"Because I can't consider the alternative. Astrid, please, just believe… the night is darkest just before the dawn."

She sighed shakily. "I can't, Hiccup. I've never been able to dream like you."


	7. Chapter 7

The Legend of Puff

Chapter 7

.

Puff was delighted. The humans had healed him. His wing felt just like new, and he had a friend now.

The boy's father was coming along to their special place, the place where he stretched his wings - Honah Lee - and he knew what that meant.

It meant that today, he would fly.

He gave a little shake of delight. Flight! What a glorious gift!

Jackie took the bark cast off his wing, and he spread it wide, revelling in the feeling of lightness and freedom. He perched on the boy's arm, and waited patiently for the boy's father to draw closer.

And then Jackie's arm swung up. The push against gravity was a beautiful feeling. It shot through him like lightning, shivering through every nerve in his body, from his nose to the tip of his extra-long tail, and setting his wings tingling.

He jumped.

And then the air was carrying him again, and he was riding the stream of wind like an eagle, and once again he felt the surge of power and pride at his ability to soar.

Jackie watched for a long time, as Puff flew higher and higher, until he was out of sight.

"So that it, then," he said, and his voice was low and sad. "He's gone."

"He'll come back," said Hiccup, and laid a hand on Jackie's shoulder.

"He won't come back. He only came to me so that I could heal his wing. And now I've done it - he's gone."

Hiccup sighed. How much more could their family take? Now that Jackie had said it, he realized it was true. The little dragon had not sought a home. All it had ever wanted was healing.

He turned away, and walked back through the trees.

Jackie trailed after him.

Hiccup didn't look back at his son.

He was sure that Jackie was crying.

It was not until he reached the fringe of the woods that he realized something was wrong. His house, set on the side of a hill, was silent and still in the bright evening - the birdsong of the woods seemed to just - stop - when he looked at it.

He reached the door, and, taking a deep breath, pushed it open.

He had barely a second to take in the sight of Honah Lee, lying in between layers of blankets that had been laid on a makeshift bed on the floor - when Astrid had dashed to meet him, and thrown her arms around him.

He stumbled back, and she drew away slightly.

Together, they looked down at the small, white figure lying on the rough blankets.

Gothi was kneeling beside her, and when she saw Hiccup's questioning gaze, she shook her head.

It seemed, now that Honah Lee's fate was assured, Astrid had lost her ability to cry. She simply curled her arms inward and let Hiccup embrace her, and rock her back and forth gently.

"What happened?"

Hiccup's voice was cracked and teary.

"The herbs I've been giving her are gone. Some dragon stole them, but it hardly makes a difference - she was too far gone to recover, and my stock was running out."

"How - " Hiccup's voice broke. "How long does she have?"

Gothi shrugged, and took the girl's hand.

"Anywhere from five minutes, to a day and a half. I don't know."

Hiccup felt an awful stabbing pain in his chest, and his eyes filled with tears. In one agonizing rush, the memories of all the times he had spent with his tiny daughter flooded into his mind.

They seemed pitifully few.

"Oh, Honah Lee," he breathed.

Astrid gave a dry sob, and Hiccup pressed her closer.

_The first time he had found out his wife was pregnant - the feel of the warm little baby nestled in his arms -_

He looked down at the girl. Her face was still and pale, and her eyes were shut. How long had it been since she had been properly awake, and full of energy?

The door swung open, and another throbbing wave of misery tore at his heart.

Jackie.

The little boy stopped in the doorway. Then with soft, slow footsteps, he approached his sister.

He knelt beside her, and took her hand.

And all was silent in the room.

Jackie was still as a statue. He didn't cry.

Hiccup knew how he felt.

This… this was to deep a pain for tears.

Tears are for people have already died and cannot be called back. Not for watching one you love die in front of you.

And if tears are not enough, the only thing to do is let your heart cry, inside you, and melt away into a pool of despair.

He knew that most Viking children didn't survive their early childhood. He had seen many, many babies - and mothers - die.

But we always figure the odds don't apply to us, don't we?

Gothi stood. "I'll leave you, if you'd like."

Hiccup said nothing. He knew he should thank her for her services. But he couldn't.

She left, and Hiccup and Astrid stood, looking down at their precious children.

Jackie's eyes were riveted to his sister's face, but Honah Lee made no move. Her round face seemed incredibly white against her dark hair.

The door swung open again, but Hiccup didn't look up. He couldn't bear to talk right now.

But he didn't hear any footsteps.

And then, there was a skittering sound, and a tiny baby Night Fury tumbled across the floor.

Jackie turned, and gave a cry -

For there, licking Honah Lee's face and trying to wake her up, was Puff.

Hiccup and Astrid broke apart, and for a moment, Hiccup was too shocked to do anything.

And then he had fallen to his knees beside the little girl and the little dragon, had raised his daughter's hand, and put his finger to her wrist.

The tears came.

Astrid gasped. "No!"

Hiccup laughed through his tears. "It's not like that, Astrid."

He drew a deep breath and wiped his nose on his sleeve, still laughing and weeping.

"It's a healthy, regular pulse."

"What does it mean?" Her voice was trembly with shock.

Jackie stood, and relief was etched in his face. He drew himself up to his full height, and announced proudly,

"It means that Puff is _magic._"

"No, it doesn't," laughed Astrid, comprehension dawning in her mind. "It means that Puff is the dragon that stole Gothi's herbs, and he _ate_ them, and their healing power, combined with the dragon's own-"

Hiccup lay a finger gently on his wife's lips, and gathered Puff up in his arms.

"Here you go, Jackie," he smiled. "Your magic dragon."

* * *

><p><em>Puff, the magic dragon lived by the sea<em>

_And frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called Honah Lee,_

_Puff, the magic dragon lived by the sea_

_And frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called Honah Lee._

* * *

><p><strong>This is NOT the end. However, it is<strong>

**.**

End of Part 1

.

**There will be two parts.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Thanks for the reviews! I'm not going to give anything about the plot away *evil laugh* – but I'm glad you're interested :)**

**Annnnyway, here's chapter 8. I uploaded it so fast because I wanted to :) and because, you know, last chapter was the end of part one and this is the beginning of part 2. And because I wanted to do an author's note thanking you guys for the reviews but I forgot when I uploaded chapter 7.**

* * *

><p>Part Two<p>

The Legend of Puff

Chapter 8

"I didn't go out where I couldn't touch the bottom, honestly, dad." Jackie looked up at his father with wide, innocent green eyes. "I didn't."

"I should hope not," Hiccup said, laying down his pencil and look his son in the eyes. "What were you doing in the water anyway?"

Jackie shrugged his dripping shoulders.

He was soaked from head to foot, his bright red hair plastered down with water. He had come home with the story that he had been caught in the rain. It was a plausible tale, believable in all its details except for one little thing.

"It's the clearest day we've had in months," Hiccup pointed out.

Jackie had then admitted to playing around the small pond that lay, still and shallow, in Honah Lee, the place where he and Puff went every afternoon. A few more questions and he revealed that he had built himself a boat.

"Why would you do that?" Hiccup asked.

Jackie shrugged again. "I - just thought it would be fun."

Hiccup sighed. "What you have to realize, Jackie, is that it's not summer anymore - or even autumn. Winter is coming on, and if you fall in the water in the dead of winter, the cold might be too much for you."

Jackie looked down at his toes.

"Sorry," he mumbled.

"Was it fun?" asked Hiccup.

Jackie looked up. "What?"

"Sailing. In your boat. On the pond."

Jackie brightened considerably. "Oh, yes," he grinned.

"Well," said Hiccup, "You might be able to do it again, if your mom or I come along. Does that sound fair?"

"Yes, sir!" Jackie smiled.

Hiccup stood.

"Do you want to come with me?"

"Where are you going?"

"Up to Gothi's. No, not that -" he said, as Jackie turned pale - "It's not because anyone is sick. I want to thank her for tending to Honah Lee for all those months."

"Yeah, I want to come."

"Go change, then," Hiccup said, "And meet me outside in ten minutes."

* * *

><p>Father and son climbed the long, winding trail out of the village and along the sea. They walked in a happy silence, and then Jackie asked, "How are you going to thank her, dad?"<p>

Hiccup looked at Jackie in surprise. "I was going to give her this letter," he said. "Why do you ask?" "No reason." They walked along quietly for a few more minutes, and then Jackie peered over at Hiccup again. "Can I hold it?"

"What?"

"The letter." Hiccup was puzzled. "Why?"

"No reason," Jackie said again.

Hiccup handed the paper over, and Jackie smiled, as if at some secret joke.

"What's so funny?" asked Hiccup, a hint of laugher in his voice at his son's expression.

"Nothing," Jackie said. "Nothing."

Hiccup wondered at it, but dropped the matter from his mind. A few weeks later, though, Hiccup had just finished a letter and sealed it, when Jackie popped up eagerly.

"Can I deliver it?" he asked.

Hiccup handed over the letter, with a curious look at his son, and Jackie was out the door in a flash.

It became a regular pattern. Whenever Hiccup had written a letter, Jackie would ask to deliver it, or hold it. It was so common that Hiccup began to call him his paper-boy.

It stuck, and he was Jackie Paper from then on.

It was puzzling, but there was so much more to think about that Hiccup didn't get a lot of time to work it out.

His daughter, Honah Lee, was recovering fast, and soon she was well enough to leave her bed and come downstairs.

Who knew such a sweet, pretty little child could also be such an annoyance, getting into everything, spilling things and getting dirty. Nobody minded, but it was still a lot of work to keep up with her, especially since she wasn't allowed outside yet.

And then, there were the affairs of his tribe. Hiccup was the chief of the village, and every dispute, every event, had to be resolved and approved by him.

And so winter was slipping into spring before he found out what Jackie was up to.

One evening, Jackie came to him, quite worried, holding Puff in his arms.

"He's sort of feeling sick, I think," Jackie said.

Hiccup's heart skipped a beat, but a quick inspection revealed nothing to worry about.

"Just a little cold or something like that," Hiccup assured his son. "Absolutely nothing serious. Has he been eating anything out of the ordinary?"

Jackie gave a guilty start.

"Maybe," he said.

"Jackie? Do you have something to tell me?"

Jackie took a deep breath, and hugged Puff tighter.

"Sealing wax," he said.

"What?"

"The stuff you put on your letters. And string, too, when he can get it."

"What!"

Jackie put on a defiant face. "He likes it," he said.

Hiccup laughed.

"Is _that_ why you've been taking my letters? So you can pick the sealing wax off and give it to _Puff?"_

"Yes."

Hiccup laughed. "Well, I don't think it's been doing him much good. How about only once in a while, okay?"

Jackie nodded, thanked Hiccup, and turned away, to re-join Honah Lee and Toothless in play.

Hiccup turned to his desk, snatched up a piece of paper, and, grinning, began to scrawl a poem that was forming in his head.

_Puff, the magic dragon lived by the sea_

_And frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called Honah Lee;_

_Little Jackie Paper loved that rascal Puff,_

_And brought him strings and sealing wax and other fancy stuff._


	9. Chapter 9

The Legend of Puff

Chapter 9

.

The weather on the isle of Berk became warmer and warmer by the day, and Jackie began to beg his mother and father for permission to take Honah Lee outside and show her the place he had named after her.

Hiccup refused, but, on seeing Jackie's disappointment, told him that he would be happy to accompany them to their pond and watch them sail.

Jackie brightened considerably at this.

Cheerfully, Hiccup, Toothless, Puff, and Jackie set off for the clearing in the woods with a small lunch packed.

The air was warmer than it had been all winter, and as Hiccup watched his son scamper ahead, his heart swelled with joy.

Life couldn't get much better.

His son had found a friend, after seven lonely years, and grown to love and care for dragons.

And he?

He won Astrid Hofferson, the love of his life, so many years ago, and now she was his bride. He had two healthy children, and a best friend to share his days with.

He put his hand on Toothless' shoulder, and breathed deeply, filling his lungs with the fresh, clean air.

Eleven years ago, when he had been fourteen, he would never have dreamed of this happiness. Astrid had shown no signs of affection toward him back then, for one thing.

What strange patterns fate had woven around him and family.

The forest became deeper and darker, but nothing could dampen Hiccup's cheerful mood, and he wished he could run ahead with his child.

But the missing quarter of his left leg ensured that his stride was slow and steady.

They rounded the bend in the path, and once again, Hiccup found himself in the beautiful little hollow that Jackie had named Honah Lee.

The cherry trees bordering the clearing were budding, about ready to blossom, and Hiccup smiled at the thought of the beauty that would soon encase the vale.

A small layer of ice still crusted the edges of the pond that lay nestled beside the cherry trees, and Jackie ran to free a tiny washtub boat that was lodged in the frozen water. He took hold of a rope that, Hiccup saw, was attached to the mast of the small vessel, and Puff scampered across his arms and, half spreading his graceful wings, landed in the boat.

With a small crack, the boat broke away from the shore, and Jackie scrambled in.

Puff climbed lightly up the mast, which Hiccup now saw was actually a broomstick pole, and settled himself gracefully on the top of it. He cut the ropes that were holding the sail up with his little claws, and as the sail tumbled down, so did his tail. It was so long that it brushed the bottom of the boat, and Jackie grabbed hold of it.

As Hiccup watched in awe, Jackie shimmied half way up the mast, using Puff's strong tail as a rope. Puff watched impassively, seemingly unfazed, as Jackie hugged the mast, his dragon's tail wrapped round his hand.

"Watch out for the rocks, Puff!" he yelled.

And from that moment on, throughout the afternoon, boy and dragon were completely immersed in their own world, a world that they ruled.

* * *

><p>Hiccup came home late that night.<p>

Astrid hurried to open the door when she heard her husband's soft knock.

"You were gone a long time," she said.

Hiccup was cradling his son's sleeping body in his arms, and he smiled down at his peaceful face.

"He was having so much fun, I couldn't take him away."

Astrid smiled, and took the boy from Hiccup.

"I'll put him to bed."

When she came back downstairs, Hiccup was curled up against Toothless' side with a book. She sat down next to him.

"I love you," he said, kissing her.

"I know," she said.

He grinned - it was an old game.

He waited, and finally, she gave in and smiled, "I love you, too. Did you have a good time today?"

"Yes. Yes. Jackie is getting so much better with dragons. He's growing to really love Puff. It makes me so happy, Astrid."

"He's inherited my talent, then," she said.

Hiccup's grin grew bigger. "You're not still talking about that little dragon-training contest? We were so young! And I won, anyway."

"You cheated!"

"I _did not_!"

"You did too!"

"Don't deprive me of the one thing I'm good at…"

"You're good at so many things, I think I can steal one of them."

"Oh yeah?" Hiccup raised an eyebrow. "Like what?"

She took his hand. "Swordfighting, for one. Being a husband. Being a father."

He smiled. "Thanks, love."

She kissed him, and went upstairs, to bed.

Hiccup sat, feeling contented for a while, and then leaned over to his desk and picked up a piece of paper.

And he wrote the second verse of his poem...

_Together they would travel on a boat with billowed sail_

_Jackie kept a lookout perched on Puff's gigantic tail,_

_Noble kings and princes would bow whene'er they came,_

_Pirate ships would lower their flag when Puff roared out his name._


	10. Chapter 10

The Legend of Puff

Chapter 10

.

Astrid stood in the doorway of the house she shared with Hiccup. She sighed, and her breath smoked in the freezing morning air.

The morning was bitterly cold. Why, after such beautiful days of spring, did the Arctic Circle have to step in and remind them that it was master of the weather? The cold seemed to freeze her bones.

Hiccup hugged her one last time, and smiled at her sadly.

He had been called away to a meeting of numerous Viking chiefs… (Those of _importance -_ although Hiccup would never admit it, Astrid was proud that her husband was a leading ruler of the time).

Jackie stood by her side, his hand in hers. Hiccup bent down and touched his cheek.

"Have the cherry trees in Honah Lee bloomed yet?" he asked.

"Maybe," Hiccup said. "When I come back, we can check."

Jackie nodded.

Hiccup mounted his dragon, and set off, and Astrid watched him go with a pang of regret. She wished she could be with him always and forever. Why did he have to leave?

* * *

><p>Jackie's bright eyes followed Hiccup until he was out of sight - and then he turned and went inside.<p>

Somehow, Jackie wanted it to be today. The waiting became unbearable - today. Honah Lee was strong enough, he was sure of it.

He went to his sister's room.

She was curled in bed. Jackie shook her shoulder, and her eyes opened.

"We're going somewhere today," he whispered to her.

* * *

><p>Hiccup sat bolt upright, chills creeping along his skin.<p>

He had been flying in the rushing wind for hours, and not felt any cold like this. This cold came from inside.

Toothless' head jerked round, and he wheeled in the sky. Hiccup could feel a question, a question rising in his dragon… should they turn back?

Hiccup swallowed.

He knew something was wrong.

"What is it, buddy?" he whispered. "Can you tell?"

Toothless shook his head.

"Yes," whispered Hiccup over the rushing of the wind. "Yes."

His heart was pounding. He knew, he KNEW that something, something at home, was terribly wrong.

"Turn back."


	11. Chapter 11

The Legend of Puff

Chapter 11

.

Toothless dropped out of the sky a mere hour and a half later. The combined fear of both dragon and rider had fused to create something close to panic, and the terror had given Toothless energy he never knew he had before.

Hiccup was off his back almost before he had landed. He stumbled into the house.

Toothless followed, and saw Hiccup, standing there, breathing hard, in the empty kitchen.

It never occurred to either of them that their suspicions had been false: they had sensed things like this before, and never been wrong - the earliest occurrence of this inner vision was when Toothless had gone to rescue Hiccup from a Monstrous Nightmare dragon, back when they had only bonded recently. He had arrived only in the nick of time to save Hiccup from certain death.

And so, upon finding the house empty, their fear grew more deeply rooted. These situations are not easy times to be optimistic. The dread grows inside you, twisting upward like a warped stem.

But Hiccup knew where to go next.

"Honah Lee," he whispered to Toothless.

* * *

><p>Jackie shook with cold. And yet, it was not cold. There was no word for this all-consuming chill. It seemed to take hold of your very bones and turn them into shards of ice, sharp as daggers, that bit at you from inside and froze your blood, so that your heart pumped in vain.<p>

And yet, he slid out of his coat.

In his hazy, pain-numbed brain, he knew one thing… Honah Lee was just as cold as he was. And it must not be that way.

If the chill was to kill them, it should only take one.

And that would not be his sister.

The ground was just as cold as he was, a frozen, unyielding, frost-coated lump, but he rested his head against it. To sleep… he might sleep. He might never wake up. And yet, death would be better than this cold.

He wondered, faintly, if he should move closer to his sister, if he should try and warm her up.

Surely she couldn't be colder than he was already.

So he put his arms around her, and laid his head on her icy shoulder.

"_Live," _he pleaded with her silently. "Don't go…"

Puff, his little dragon, curled around him, licking his face, trying to keep him warm.

"No," he breathed, "Go to her…"

And then his dazed mind reeled - warmth was suddenly surrounding him, soft arms cradling him, a voice calling his name.

He knew that voice, and opened his eyes.

"Dad?" he whispered. His voice was so soft, so quiet, that he feared Hiccup might not be able to hear him. But his father answered.

"Yes… yes, it's me. What happened?"

Jackie could hear tears in his father's voice, and that scared him more than the cold did.

He shook his head.

Curiosity was still the chief emotion in his befuddled little mind -

"Dad," he breathed again… and then, "You're back. Have… have the cherry trees blossomed yet?"

And then sleep, or something very like it, something black and soft, soft as his father's arms, and yet, not warm like them, stole over him… and he knew no more.

Hiccup gave a sob, and grasped his son's wrist.

But he knew, he knew by the terrible pounding in his heart and the awful, sick feeling in his stomach, that he would find no pulse.

Jackie was gone.

He had known, from the first moment he had set foot in the little clearing, and seen the little boat half overturned in the water, that Jackie could not survive the arctic, icy temperatures.

Not when he had given his coat and all else he could to his sister.

He had died a hero, a brave little boy, curious and eager in the face of the world, the cruel world.

But it didn't comfort Hiccup. It didn't cushion the fact, the fact that Jackie was dead.

Hiccup squeezed his eyes shut and pressed the cold little body close against himself. This was more than he could bear. He had been through many things, seen numberless men killed in battle, very nearly lost those he loved, and watched his father's funeral ship sink beneath the waves, but this broke his heart.

Every beat seemed laboured now, and throbbed with hurt.

Jackie… Jackie.


	12. Chapter 12

The Legend of Puff

Chapter 12

.

Hiccup stared down at the patch of freshly turned earth that had just been spread over his son's body. He couldn't look up. Every tree, every bush, every inch of the hollow, reminded him of Jackie.

Hiccup didn't know why he had insisted that Jackie be buried in the beautiful little clearing he had spent so much time in. Maybe it was because of his last words. Maybe it was because, when he thought of Jackie, it was where he imagined him to be.

He also didn't know why he had insisted on such a small party present at the burial. He didn't think he could stand being with a lot of people … why? Was he afraid? Angry? Simply too sad?

Astrid stood beside him, and they dampened each other's skin with their tears. Astrid was devastated, sobbing so hard her body shook in Hiccup's arms, but her despair could never reach the place Hiccup's reached.

How many hours they stood there, both sobbing blindly, sharing each other's pain.

Slowly, as the sun traveled across the sky, Astrid and the others moved away.

Hiccup could not.

He remained, kneeling on the cold ground, for hours more. He couldn't bear to be there. He couldn't bear to leave.

He closed his eyes, and rocked back and forth, while tears seeped out from under his eyelids, crying harder then he had in years. His lungs burned, and every breath seared his throat.

A little movement at his side… an extra-long tail brushed his hand. Puff curled beside him.

As Hiccup watched, a few scales from the little dragon's side fell to the ground. It was his way of crying.

The little Night Fury ears were drooping, and, as Hiccup looked at him, he realized that this was not his own story. Nor was this story all Jackie's. This story was Puff's - the story of finding and losing, seeking and losing again - he had regained his power of flight, but lost a friend, and now -

"Come with us, Puff," whispered Hiccup. "Come with us. Honah Lee will grow to love you. I love you. Come with us."

Puff looked up at Hiccup with his giant black eyes… then shook his head.

"Please," Hiccup said.

Puff moved slowly away, away from Hiccup, away from the path that led back to the village, away from Jackie's grave, away from all the sorrow and pain.

And as he walked, a sparse trail of his greenish scales lay scattered behind him.

Hiccup picked one up, and rolled it in his fingers… then pocketed it. He would keep it. Keep it forever.

He looked up, and for the first time, looked around the little clearing.

A flash of brightest pink caught his eye.

He looked up. There … just above Jackie's grave… the first cherry blossom was bursting into bloom.

* * *

><p>Puff crawled dejectedly back into the cave he had once shared with so many other dragons. They were all still here, but he ignored them as he made his way deeper into the mountain. They didn't know what it was like. They had no idea what he felt.<p>

He remembered, so many months ago, before he had met Jackie, and lost him, when he had first learned to fly. When he had first been balanced on the edge of the cliff.

How he had longed to crawl back into his eggshell.

He had reached the dragon nurseries, now. Thousands of baby dragons lay curled on rocks and sprawled on the floor. And, on the ground, were shards and shards of eggshells.

Puff nosed through them, and found a piece he recognized. It was a fair size… about a third of the shell he had once lived in.

It took him hours, but he finally found all the pieces among all the other dragons' shells.

They still fit together.

He curled up into his tightest ball, and squeezed himself back inside the dragon egg.

It was still warm and cozy in here.

Maybe he would wake up, and it would all be a dream.

He hoped it was, but he also hoped it wasn't. He didn't want Jackie to lose the place in his heart. Puff swore to himself, deep in his eggshell, that he would never forget.

* * *

><p><strong>Still not the end, there's one more chapter. An epilogue.<strong>


	13. Chapter 13

The Legend of Puff

Epilogue

.

Hiccup cleared away a pile of paper on his desk to make room for a letter he had to write.

He had trained himself not to think about Jackie "Paper" when he wrote letters, but the memory seemed heavy in his heart, even now, two years after the horrible accident.

The pile of papers he had moved aside toppled over, and he sighed and reached over to stack them up again.

And there it was.

He picked it up… an old piece of parchment, two verses of a lighthearted poem scrawled on it.

_Puff, the magic dragon lived by the sea_

_And frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called Honah Lee,_

_Little Jackie Paper loved that rascal Puff,_

_And brought him strings and sealing wax and other fancy stuff._

_Together they would travel on a boat with billowed sail_

_Jackie kept a lookout perched on Puff's gigantic tail,_

_Noble kings and princes would bow whene'er they came,_

_Pirate ships would lower their flag when Puff roared out his name…_

It was an unfinished poem.

All thought if his letter had vanished from Hiccup's mind.

There was a deep, deep conviction in his heart - he had to complete the poem. And so he put his pencil to the paper.

_A dragon lives forever but not so little boys_

Hiccup's tears were staining the page, but somehow, he felt he had to go on.

But he couldn't. Jackie - he couldn't bear the thought. It still hurt, it still hurt so badly.

His pencil touched the paper again.

But no words would come.

He couldn't write about his son's death.

Maybe one day, one day he'd be able to. But not now.

And so, he wrote…

_Painted wings and giant rings make way for other toys._

It just sounded like his boy had grown up.

Grown up and left Puff?

But he couldn't write the real reason for their separation, so he left the lie etched onto the paper and continued.

_One grey night it happened, Jackie Paper came no more_

_And Puff that mighty dragon, he ceased his fearless roar._

_His head was bent in sorrow, green scales fell like rain,_

_Puff no longer went to play along the cherry lane._

_Without his life-long friend, Puff could not be brave,_

_So Puff that mighty dragon sadly slipped into his cave._

Hiccup folded the paper.

He felt like burning it; but he didn't want to destroy the first two verses, written in happiness and laugher.

And somehow, the desolation he felt had, in part, been transferred into the poem. He felt - just slightly - better for writing it.

And so he left it on his desk, re-buried under the clutter and mess littering the tabletop.

Maybe one day, when he was gone, someone would discover it.

By then, he might be with Jackie.

The thought made him smile, even though tears still glistened on his cheeks.

But for now, for now he was only twenty-seven, and he had a daughter, a wife, and a newborn son to take care of.

.

_The End_

_._

* * *

><p><strong> <strong>"No story lives unless someone wants to listen." -JK Rowling<strong>**

****Thanks for reading The Legend Of Puff, taking the time to review so much, and being so supportive! I appreciate it muchly!****


End file.
